Feb 6, 2015

SOMETIMES, RATHER THAN A SEQUEL, A SERIES JUST NEEDS A FRESH START. IF SAID REBOOTS NEGLECT TO RESPECT THE LEGACY OF THEIR SOURCE MATERIAL, THEY CAN BE CRUSHINGLY DISAPPOINTING. FORTUNATELY. THERE ARE PLENTY OF REBOOTS THAT HAVE DONE IT RIGHT...RETURN TO CASTLE WOLFESTEINTHE ORIGINAL WOLFENSTEIN is arguably one of the most influential games of all tirie. Its 2G01 PS2 reboot. Return to Castle Wolfenstein. certainly isn't that, but it's a good shooter that reintroduced players to B J. Blazowicz. a character who is still going strong in the series' latest entry. Wolfenstein: The New Order. Return to Castle Wolfenstein is more serious than its source material, but maintainsa bit of silliness with its occult elements.

NINJA GAIDEN SIGMATHIS RETELLING OF the Ninja Gaiden series literally added a new dimension to a series that had been a 2D action game up until that point. Ninja Gaidens first 3Douting was also a narrative reboot of the series, though it did reuse the basic premise of the original game, essentially making it a retelling of the same tale. The set up is pretty simple: Ryu Hayabusa is off on a quest for revenge and he's pretty good at cutting people up with swords.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIMETHE CLASSIC PLATFORMER Prince Of Persia. which started back in 1989, got itself an excellent reboot when Sands of Time came to PS2 in 2003. What's great about the game is that it maintains the focus on acrobatic gameplay. which made the original famous, but it does it in a way more fitting for its era. Wall-running and death-defying leaps are balanced with a need to think about how you can use athleticism to progress through the world.

CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOWCASTLEVANIA'S PS3 DEBUT isn't only original in terms of its story, but it takes the Castlevania series in a new direction mechanically. Some people felt that it wasn't a true Castlenia game because it lacks the Metroidvania elements that the series has become known for. However. go back to the pre-Symphony Of The Night Castlevania garres and you'll see where Lords Of Shadow finds influence for its structure.

DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTIONREBOOTING ONE OF the most highly regarded and influential games of all time, in the form of Deus Ex. was no easy task. Square Enix did an absolutely stellar job with Human Revolution, however. In the way that it lets you customise your character and ensures that those choices have an impact on how each mission plays out. the game retains that sense of freedom and flexibility that made the original special. It also has a similar atmosphere to the first game, its design drawing from the same cyberpunk tradition whilst also having its own identity (by which we mean it has lots of yellow hexagons). If only it didn't have those boss fights...